Socially Disempowered Women as the Key to Addressing Change in Malawi: How Do They Do It?

Making meaning of empowerment and development in rural Malawi—International individualism meets local communalism

Empowerment is a prominent concept in psychology, and for decades, it has been a key term in global development policy, theory, and practice. However, in line with similar turns toward individualism in psychology, the prevalent understanding of the concept centers on individual capacity to change circumstances, with less focus on empowerment as a context-dependent or communal approach. In this article, adopting decolonial feminist psychology as a lens, we analyze how rural Malawians make meaning of the overarching empowerment and development approach of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in their villages, and how they perceive the approaches as fitting with local contexts. When development implementers largely ignore Malawi’s communal lifestyle, individualized empowerment initiatives can lead to individual and communal disempowerment and distress. Given psychology’s large influence on other arenas, and psychology’s implication with the individualized gender-development-empowerment nexus, we argue that it is imperative to explore the effects and experiences of this empowerment approach in different contexts. A more context-appropriate understanding of empowerment—as with most other psychological concepts—is needed.

Comparative Analysis of Rural Health Demographics in 2 East African Communities During Medical Camps: Volunteers' Perspectives'

Malawian and Zambian governments have made efforts to improve healthcare for rural dwellers but possible differences or similarities in health demographics may inform targeted interventions and volunteers may have a greater role to play in improving health outcomes.

No sex for fish: empowering women to promote health and economic opportunity in a localized place in Kenya

A pervasive cultural practice called 'jaboya' or women trading sex for fish exists at Nyamware Beach, on Lake Victoria in Kenya, where the fishing industry is the primary source of income. This case study describes how an innovative market-based solution succeeded in changing the gender dynamics on Nyamware beach and empowering women with the means of production in the industry. Over the course of 6 months, three boats were built for women to own and manage, and 29 women and 20 men received business skills training while establishing local community savings and loans associations. This project succeeded in quickly adjusting the economic imbalance that previously left women few options but to exchange sex to purchase the best fish for food and for distribution. Participating women applied resulting increased income to school fees for children and toward their households and businesses. Women owning businesses, earning income and gaining a voice in the community has changed the gender dynamics of men working on the boats for women and has positively altered the perception of women in the community. Additionally, this project offers potential health benefits such as a reduction in the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections due to reduced rates of transactional sex, and reduced rates of depression, alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder from transactional sex, which can be traumatic. The success of this project demonstrates that small and innovative approaches addressing root causes of economic and social inequality can improve health and promote sustainable economic development.

Social determinants of health: Social forces that shape women and men's knowledge of reproductive health in a resource-limited setting

Social forces shape people's reproductive health in many ways. We examined people's knowledge about reproductive health using focus group data collected from 93 participants in rural districts of Malawi. Participants' perspectives were contextualized by explaining the socioeconomic, cultural, and gender factors that determine reproductive health for rural Malawians. Strategies to improve reproductive health care in environments lacking in health infrastructure, staff, and economic resources are then provided. We call for a reproductive health agenda to target preventive care by providing information about anatomy and biology, communicating information in culturally competent ways, and educating men and women over the life course.

Educational Outcomes for Orphan Girls in Rural Zimbabwe: Effects of a School Support Intervention

Educational achievement has important implications for the health and well-being of young women in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors assessed the effects of providing school support on educational outcomes of orphan girls in rural Zimbabwe. Data were from a randomized controlled trial offering the intervention group comprehensive schooling support and controls no treatment initially and then fees only. Results indicated comprehensive support reduced school dropout and absence but did not improve test scores. Providing support to orphan girls is promising for addressing World Health Organization Millennium Development Goals, but further research is needed about contextual factors affecting girls' school participation and learning.

How community trust was gained by an NGO in Malawi, Central Africa, to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS

Trust is valuable social capital that is essential for effective partnerships to improve a community's health. Yet, how to establish trust in culturally diverse communities is elusive for many researchers, practitioners, and agencies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain perspectives of individuals working for a nongovernmental organization (NGO) about gaining community trust in Malawi in order to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS. Twenty-six interviews were conducted over 12 months. Content analysis revealed the relationship between NGO staff and the community is crucial to gaining community trust. Gender, social context, and religious factors influence the establishment of trust within the relationship, but NGO assumptions about the community can erode community trust. Nurses and other health professionals working with the NGOs can help create conditions to build trust in an ethically and culturally sensitive manner whereby communities can develop processes to address their own health concerns.